Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, various U.S. locations (ages 5 to 8)

by
Clark Norton

What to expect:These campgrounds (which call themselves "camp resorts") scattered throughout the United States are art of a national, franchised chain of independently owned and operated campgrounds that all go by the name Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park.

From the name alone, you can tell these camps are family oriented. Their lists of daily, supervised activities are impressive. You'll usually find traditional playgrounds; a good-sized swimming pool; and often a hot tub, a water playground, or sandy-bottomed river or lake for swimming, fishing, boating, and canoeing. Daily movies or cartoons are available, along with a variety of special events throughout the year (see Tips, below).

Preschoolers also have the chance to meet Yogi Bear and his cartoon cohorts, Cindy Bear and Boo Boo Bear, several times each day. The characters even make visits to individual campsites.

Planned and supervised daily activities entertain all ages, from tots to teens to adults. Some activities are organized by age, and others are intended for all family members to enjoy together. Activities start at 9 a.m. and continue until about 10 p.m. Highlights for 5- to 8-year-olds might include a daily afternoon hayride; arts-and-crafts or ceramic projects; bingo games in which candy bars are the prizes; or parachute games, relay races, and team sports such as softball.

Children ages 5 to 8 may also want to play basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, volleyball, miniature golf, or bocce (an Italian game in which you roll a ball down a sand court). A few activities require a small fee.

The big water playgrounds are typically suitable for age 1 and up. There, young kids can splash in a fountain, or, for example, sit on a spouting whale, lie on a spitting duck, or interact with spurting lemon drops. All the while, parents can watch the kids from the comfort of a bench. (There are attendants but no lifeguards.)

The campgrounds also often have indoor or outdoor theaters with shows geared to children and featuring magicians, ventriloquists, and puppeteers. All these activities are in addition to the many attractions of the local area, which may include mountains, lakes, beaches, forests, scenic railways, and other theme parks.

Families have their choice of campsites and accommodations. The campsites, suitable for tents or RVs, have varying degrees of shade and privacy, and some have river, lake, or mountain views. You'll pay a bit more for the better ones, but if they're available they're well worth it.

Typically, you can also rent a rustic log cabin with a porch, electricity, refrigerator, charcoal grill, fire ring, and picnic table, but probably without bathroom facilities. To avoid trips to one of the bathhouses, you can rent a deluxe log cabin that includes a kitchenette and bath along with the other amenities, or a trailer with kitchen, bath, barbecue grill, picnic table, fire ring, awning, and deck.

Facilities:Each location offers many campsites (open, shaded, waterfront or with a view, and private), usually with picnic tables and fire rings. Check the websites for individual locations, but most have showers, snack bar, general store, laundromat, arcade, recreation hall, day guest and picnic area, babysitting referrals to individuals in the community (not employed by the park), RV sanitary service and station.

Tips:

Each park has its own website. Start at the main site, find the specific park that appeals to you, and visit its individual site to find out about amenities, rates, and schedules.

Daily activities can include ice-cream socials, pancake breakfasts, family concerts. Each campground holds special events and themed weekends throughout the season, such as Mexican fiestas (with a children's pajama siesta and piñata party), a Christmas in July celebration, and a Halloween in August family costume party.

Some parks offer on-site RV repair.

When to go:In eastern and midwestern states, the campgrounds are open from late spring until autumn. In states with warmer climates, they're open year-round.

Getting there: Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park has locations throughout the United States. For information about getting to a specific park, check the main Jellystone Park website.

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